Edging Take-off Sheet
Measure curves with a rope. Count the sides you actually need. Buy the stakes generously.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/garden-edging-calculator
The bed
- Location
- Date
- Length
- Width
- Sides needing edging
- Boundary length
- Waste %
- LINEAR FEET
- Piece length
- PIECES
- STAKES
- Depth required
Several beds — measure each separately
| Bed | Length | Width | Sides | Linear ft | Stakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The arithmetic and the traps
- All four sides
- 2 x length + 2 x width
- Three sides
- 2 x length + width
- Two sides
- length + width
- Stakes
- boundary / spacing, + one per corner
- Stake spacing
- about 3 ft, closer on curves
- Waste
- 5% one bed · 10% several beds
- ⚠ Curves
- measure with a ROPE, never across
- ⚠ Sides
- a bed on a wall needs THREE, not four
- ⚠ Under-staking
- why edging lifts over the first winter
- ⚠ Depth
- proud of the soil = stops nothing
- The free alternative
- a cut edge — half-moon edger, redone yearly
Before ordering
- Sides counted — is one against a wall, fence or path?
- Curves measured with a hose or rope, laid on the line
- Manufacturer's required DEPTH checked against your trench
- Stakes counted generously, closer on curves
- Corner pieces or connectors checked — some systems need them
- Considered whether a cut edge would do instead
- Utilities checked before digging a trench anywhere near the house
- Turf removal and spoil disposal planned — that is most of the work
Count the sides before anything else
A bed against a house wall or a fence needs three sides, not four — often two. This is the largest single saving available and it takes one look at the bed. The calculator shows the full perimeter beside your figure so the difference is visible.
A rope, not a tape
Edging follows a curve; a tape measures the straight line across it. The curve is always longer, and the error grows with how pronounced it is. Lay a hose along the line you actually want, then measure the hose. It is the difference between one trip to the yard and two.